The Swiss Stock Market Finished With Another Modest Loss Wednesday

(RTTNews) - The Swiss stock market finished with a small loss Wednesday, adding to the weakness of the previous session. The market was under pressure in early trade, due to disappointment after China's third plenum meeting failed to outline steps to curb state dominance of the economy.

Uncertainty over when the Federal Reserve will begin to taper its stimulus measures continued to linger. Meanwhile, statements from ECB chief economist Peter Praet provided a boost. He stressed that all monetary policy options remain on the table, including the prospect of further easing after last week's historic rate cut.

The Swiss Market Index declined by 0.32 percent Wednesday and finished at 8,234.72. The Swiss Leader Index fell by 0.55 percent and the Swiss Performance Index lost 0.39 percent.

The defensive heavyweights were in focus, due to the Federal Reserve uncertainty. Nestle climbed by 0.2 percent and Novartis added 0.1 percent. However, Roche finished with a loss of 0.2 percent.

Financial stocks were under pressure. Credit Suisse declined by 1.4 percent and UBS lost 0.5 percent. Julius Baer also dropped by 1.1 percent. Swiss Life fell by 1.2 percent, following yesterday's third quarter report. Swiss Re also dropped by 1.9 percent.